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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: march · temple · file · mouse · sharp · shower · pitcher · rock

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. file — a document
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rock — music
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — to wash
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — rain
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rock — a stone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mouse — for a computer

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