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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: arm · mouse · march · present · sharp · spell · cap · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. shower — rain
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — letters
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. present — the time now
  9. cap — of ice
  10. march — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — the month
  17. present — a gift
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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