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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: cap · lean · pitcher · fan · bore · shower · sharp · race

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bore — to drill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cap — a lid
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. lean — thin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — the arms race
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — rain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. race — humankind
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. race — a contest
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to tire

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