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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: perch · nail · jam · pit · club · shower · capital · rule

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. capital — money
  5. rule — government
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. club — for golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — a law
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. club — a group
  18. pit — in a race
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. jam — in traffic

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