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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — moving air
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. drill — army training
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kid — to tease
  12. drill — the tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. drill — a practice
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. board — a committee
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a ring
  21. wind — moving air
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. board — to get on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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