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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: shower · dip · cell · mug · row · rash · bay · court

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. court — for sport
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. shower — to wash
  10. dip — to sink
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. rash — hasty
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of law
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. mug — a face
  24. row — a line

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