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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: shower · charge · sharp · fork · game · foot · cap · bank

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bank — for money
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. foot — a measure
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — a match
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. shower — to wash
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bank — of a river
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. game — wild animals
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. bank — for money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — a lid
  23. shower — rain
  24. cap — a hat

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