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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: mate · ball · pitch · squash · wake · sharp · shower · bank

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. ball — a great time
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bank — of a river
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bank — for money

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