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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: can · saw · chip · straw · lie · sharp · last · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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 — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — to recline
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — final
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — to eat
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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