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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mate — a partner
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mate — a friend
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — child
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke

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