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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kid — to tease
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. capital — a city
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kid — child
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — the sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. squash — the vegetable

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