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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: cap · squash · shower · sharp · roll · nail · ground · spell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. shower — rain
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — a position
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ground — the earth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. squash — the sport
  19. roll — a list
  20. cap — of ice
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. squash — to crush
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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