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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · hand · safe · mouse · straw · object · chair · spell

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. object — a thing
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — help
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — in cards
  16. shower — rain
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spell — letters
  20. object — an aim
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. straw — a straw man

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