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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: fan · lie · shower · hide · firm · pitcher · straw · mug

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — rain
  9. firm — a company
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. firm — steady
  20. mug — a face
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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