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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: content · kick · fall · sharp · shower · mine · firm · pit

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. firm — a company
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. shower — rain
  6. pit — in a race
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. content — the amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. firm — steady
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — for digging
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — happy
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — with an edge

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