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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
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: pitcher · shower · deal · craft · content · land · chair · lash

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — happy
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — boats
  9. content — the amount
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — a skill
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chair — a professorship

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