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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 120 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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rush — hurry
  11. hand — help
  12. shower — rain
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fan — a supporter

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