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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: hide · bowl · tube · hand · court · pound · shower · suit

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of a king
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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