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

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — a practice
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. drill — army training
  9. shower — rain
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. shower — to wash
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mate — to breed
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cap — a lid

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