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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: fine · arm · pitcher · mate · land · deal · rock · shower

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. land — a country
  11. fine — all right
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mate — a partner
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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