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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: kick · race · scale · shower · fall · foot · pitcher · staff

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — employees
  4. kick — in football
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. scale — in music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — a stick
  22. shower — rain
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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