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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kid — child
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. prune — to trim
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rash — hasty

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