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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: bass · date · bore · rule · mug · bowl · roll · shower

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mug — to rob
  4. shower — rain
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — to wash
  7. roll — a list
  8. rule — government
  9. mug — a face
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bass — low music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the fish
  21. roll — a cake
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rule — a law
  24. date — the fruit

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