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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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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: fine · straw · shower · bowl · firm · mate · arm · ground

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — a company
  4. ground — the earth
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ground — crushed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mate — a friend
  21. firm — decided
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fine — all right
  24. straw — a straw man

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