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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: perch · present · pitcher · file · shower · band · game · arm

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. shower — to wash
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a document
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. band — a ring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — there
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. game — a match
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. game — wild animals
  24. band — a music group

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