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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cue — for pool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hand — help
  7. toast — bread
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. land — to come down
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cue — a hint
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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