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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · rash · shower · bass · vault · calf · court · stand

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bass — the fish
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. court — of law
  5. march — music
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — of a king
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. march — the month
  12. court — for sport
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. march — the month
  18. vault — a safe
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. stand — to bear

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