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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — a hat
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — child
  11. can — a tin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. charge — in control
  18. can — a tin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. can — to be able to
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — a lid
  24. charge — a price

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