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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · date · shower · fine · mouse · bass · hand · bowl

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bass — low music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. last — final
  13. hand — help
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fine — high quality
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. shower — rain
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com