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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 · sharp · mug · season · row · bat · arm · stick

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — a face
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. row — a line
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mug — to rob
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bat — the animal

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