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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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 — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ball — a great time
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. kid — child
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — for digging
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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