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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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. staff — employees
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chip — to eat
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. kid — child
  24. straw — a straw man

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