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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: bat · pitcher · ruler · shower · band · hand · drill · temple

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — a practice
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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