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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: pitcher · cabinet · bay · prune · shower · staff · track · game

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — a path
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. staff — employees
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. track — a song
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — a match
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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