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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 120 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
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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: sharp · march · pitcher · nail · chair · key · mug · shower

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — to rob
  8. march — music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mug — a cup
  20. key — in music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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