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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fan · mug · mouse · foot · march · saw · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. march — the month
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — hasty

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