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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: shower · ruler · mark · hand · cabinet · land · pit · drill

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. shower — rain
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mark — a grade
  10. land — ground
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — to come down
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — help
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. drill — the tool
  20. land — a country
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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