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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: sharp · pitch · wake · fan · mug · saw · mate · shower

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — clever
  6. shower — to wash
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a face
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. saw — the tool

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