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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. tube — a container
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. current — of water
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. shower — rain
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kid — child
  21. current — happening now
  22. board — to get on
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. current — electric

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