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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: stick · land · saw · sharp · straw · shower · ball · can

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. shower — rain
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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