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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — a tin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spell — a short time
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. spell — letters
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spell — magic

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