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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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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. kid — to tease
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. face — part of the head
  11. prune — to trim
  12. dip — to sink
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — to trim
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law

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