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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: roll · pitcher · rush · fan · wake · straw · fine · cold

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wake — a trail
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. roll — a list
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fine — all right

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