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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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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: club · pop · trunk · jam · mug · shower · rest · ball

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. mug — a face
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. ball — a great time
  8. rest — a break
  9. club — for golf
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — music
  13. club — a group
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pop — soda
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pop — to visit
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mug — to rob

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