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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: rest · cabinet · net · bowl · pitcher · roll · mate · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — after costs
  8. roll — a list
  9. net — for catching
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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