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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. firm — decided
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. cue — a hint
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. present — a gift
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. present — there
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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