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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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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: safe · shower · roll · straw · pound · pop · snap · rest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rest — a break
  6. shower — rain
  7. roll — a list
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pop — soda
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — a cake
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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