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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. net — after costs
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chip — to eat
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. chip — for betting
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain

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