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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: cap · ground · firm · rash · straw · tube · sharp · last

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. last — finally
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rash — a series
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — hasty
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — final
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ground — crushed
  19. firm — decided
  20. ground — a position
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — a container
  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