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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: wake · roll · pitcher · game · sharp · shower · suit · firm

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. roll — a cake
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. suit — in cards
  9. shower — to wash
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. firm — steady
  15. game — a match
  16. firm — a company
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — rain
  19. wake — a trail
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. firm — decided
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — to fit

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