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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: arm · saw · stand · rock · present · pitcher · court · shower

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. present — a gift
  3. rock — music
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. present — the time now
  15. court — for sport
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. court — of a king
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — a stone
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stand — on your feet

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