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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · shower · march · lash · sharp · rock · kick · mine

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — the month
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. march — the month
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — music
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rock — a stone
  24. shower — rain

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