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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: rash · bowl · rock · wound · wind · straw · kid · sharp

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rash — a series
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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