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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: saw · straw · hand · ball · rash · present · object · ruler

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. object — to protest
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. present — a gift
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — in cards

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