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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: pop · shower · sharp · foot · scale · pitcher · present · temple

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — soda
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pop — music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. present — there
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pop — to visit

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