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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: pop · shower · net · cold · nail · foot · present · jam

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. present — there
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cold — an illness
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — soda
  9. net — for catching
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — in sport
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. present — a gift
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cold — not warm
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — after costs
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pop — music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. shower — to wash
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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