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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · shower · mark · season · present · safe

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. season — of the year
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. present — a gift
  8. mark — a grade
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mark — a trace
  13. present — there
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain

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