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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: arm · pitcher · sharp · object · shower · field · cabinet · fine

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. object — an aim
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. shower — rain
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — a subject
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. object — to protest
  19. sharp — clever
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. arm — a part of something

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