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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · mug · pitcher · lean · shower · fine · sharp · rule

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spell — letters
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — government
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — rain
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spell — magic
  12. rule — a law
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lean — thin
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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