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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 120 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: pitcher · ground · nail · foot · straw · shower · calf · game

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — a measure
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ground — the earth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — a position
  20. shower — rain
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. straw — a straw man

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