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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.

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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: rock · rush · straw · game · file · can · bay · fine

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a line of people
  3. can — a tin
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rock — music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. game — wild animals
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — a match
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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