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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: straw · foot · ball · shower · pitcher · march · season · hand

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. march — music
  5. foot — a measure
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ball — a great time
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. march — the month
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — rain
  24. foot — the bottom

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