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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 · charge · straw · drill · march · present · shower · foot

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. foot — a measure
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. charge — a price
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. charge — in control
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. charge — electricity
  12. drill — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — there
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. march — the month
  20. present — the time now
  21. drill — army training
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — a gift

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