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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: object · game · rush · shower · sharp · perch · pound · fine

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. shower — rain
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. object — a thing
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. game — a match
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fine — all right

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