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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: nail · shower · perch · pop · straw · safe · game · rash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — to visit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. shower — to wash
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. perch — for a bird

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