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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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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: pitcher · stand · shower · sharp · drill · file · squash · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. file — a line of people
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. squash — the sport
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a document
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — to wash
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stand — to bear

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