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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. mug — to rob
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. kid — to tease
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. row — a line
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. kick — in football
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mug — a face

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