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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: kid · bowl · straw · rush · chair · trunk · can · drill

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. drill — army training
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — child
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. can — to be able to
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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