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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: nail · shower · file · mark · ground · ball · snap · pitcher

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. file — a tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — a position
  8. file — a line of people
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mark — a trace
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. snap — to click
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. shower — rain
  23. ball — a great time
  24. nail — for a hammer

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