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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — final
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — a price
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. last — finally
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. charge — in control
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. shower — rain
  24. last — to go on

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