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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. firm — a company
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cue — a signal
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kid — child
  18. firm — steady
  19. file — a tool
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. firm — decided

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