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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 · shower · cell · foot · rush · land · cap · can

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. can — a tin
  6. land — to come down
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. shower — to wash
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — rain
  11. land — a country
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cap — of ice
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. land — ground
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — in biology

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