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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: pitcher · bound · nail · shower · hand · foot · sharp · rash

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — in cards
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rash — hasty
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rash — a series
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — obliged
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. shower — to wash

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