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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — to recline
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pit — a hole
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. suit — to fit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. suit — in cards
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fan — to cool the air

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