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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 120 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pass — a permit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — music
  16. kid — child
  17. pop — to visit
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — a video
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. deal — to handle

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