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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 120 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: ball · foot · leaves · shower · can · cell · sharp · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. sharp — clever
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ball — a dance
  23. foot — a measure
  24. can — a tin

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