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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — a committee
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kid — child
  12. ball — a dance
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — to recline
  24. straw — dry grass

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