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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: wake · sharp · fine · firm · pitcher · shower · spell · dip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. firm — a company
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. firm — decided
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fine — high quality
  17. firm — steady
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — magic
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — to wash
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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