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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. toast — bread
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. plane — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — boats
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. craft — a skill
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — to bend

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