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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: shower · club · chip · wind · lie · foot · sharp · stick

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chip — to eat
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — rain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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