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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. court — of a king
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — music
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pop — soda
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — child
  17. court — of law
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. staff — a stick
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bark — to shout

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