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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: bulb · bowl · mark · kid · content · arm · sharp · shower

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. content — the amount
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mark — a trace
  16. sharp — clever
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — happy
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — videos and posts

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