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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: shower · last · spell · pound · cue · bass · perch · sharp

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — a short time
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spell — letters
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — to go on
  10. shower — rain
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — final
  14. bass — low music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. shower — to wash
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bass — the fish
  21. last — finally
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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