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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — the time now
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mug — a face
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — a gift
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mug — a cup
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — child
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. present — there
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — in biology
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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