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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. board — a committee
  4. mate — a friend
  5. kid — child
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. kid — to tease
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. straw — a straw man
  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