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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. snap — to click
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — magic
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kid — child
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — to push
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — a short time
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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