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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: cabinet · ground · cue · hide · straw · shower · can · mark

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ground — the earth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cue — a hint
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — a position
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mark — a trace

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