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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
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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: chair · staff · bay · shower · can · cue · cabinet · straw

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a leader
  3. can — to be able to
  4. cue — a signal
  5. staff — employees
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. staff — employees
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cue — a hint
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. shower — rain
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — ministers

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