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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: ground · sharp · shower · suit · arm · march

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — clever
  5. suit — to fit
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ground — a position
  9. suit — clothes
  10. shower — rain
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. march — music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. suit — in cards
  17. shower — to wash
  18. march — the month

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