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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · press · safe · hand · chip · club · straw · land

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. club — for dancing
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — for betting
  6. hand — help
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. press — a publisher
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — to eat
  18. press — newspapers
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. shower — to wash
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chip — in a computer

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