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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: deal · content · tear · mouse · shower · sharp · cell · coach

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cell — a phone
  10. shower — to wash
  11. content — happy
  12. cell — in biology
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. content — the amount
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. deal — a big deal

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