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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: shower · drill · lash · bay · pitch · bore · cell · game

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. drill — army training
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. shower — rain
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a match
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bore — to drill
  24. drill — a practice

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