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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: shower · firm · chip · mug · straw · nail · bass · rash

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. shower — to wash
  4. firm — steady
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — to eat
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. firm — a company
  14. mug — a face
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — low music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — hasty
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mug — to rob

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