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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — letters
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mug — to rob
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — the animal

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