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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
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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: march · sharp · pitcher · wound · hide · cabinet · cold · rush

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. march — music
  20. cold — not warm
  21. march — the month
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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