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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: last · jam · kid · stand · mark · can · straw · shower

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. can — to be able to
  4. shower — rain
  5. stand — to bear
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — to go on
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — final
  17. mark — a grade
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stand — for spectators

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