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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 120 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 · lie · pit · ground · foot · sharp · drill · wave

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pit — a hole
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pit — in a race
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. drill — a practice

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