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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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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: pitcher · kick · fan · straw · rush · cue · rash · safe

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — hasty
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cue — a hint
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. kick — in football
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fan — a supporter

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