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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: season · wake · chip · fine · foot · straw · shower · cell

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. season — of the year
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — all right
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — high quality
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — in sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — to wash
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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