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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: kid · saw · ball · pop · shower · game · rock · date

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — child
  4. game — wild animals
  5. date — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rock — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. saw — the tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pop — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — a match

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