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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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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 · cap · last · cabinet · saw · straw · kick · stock

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. last — final
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — shares
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stock — goods
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kick — with a leg

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