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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 116 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wake — a trail
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mug — to rob
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hand — in cards
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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