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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.

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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: deal · cell · season · straw · nail · pitcher · safe · wind

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — in biology
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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