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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bulb — for light
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fork — in a road
  14. key — in music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. swing — in golf
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — music
  21. swing — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kid — to tease

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