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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: hand · plane · drill · racket · ball · pass · shower · net

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. net — for catching
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. plane — a tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. ball — a dance
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — in sport
  18. drill — army training
  19. hand — help
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — to wash

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