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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: straw · game · row · shower · mouse · rush · mark · nail

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. shower — rain
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a match
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rush — hurry
  24. straw — dry grass

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