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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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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: chip · race · pitcher · face · sharp · shower · bowl · bound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — rain
  3. race — the arms race
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. race — humankind
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bound — obliged
  17. sharp — clever
  18. race — a contest
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. shower — to wash
  24. chip — for betting

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