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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — to breed
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. root — of a word
  6. can — a tin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. net — for catching
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. spell — magic
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — in sport
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lean — to bend
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — letters
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — the cause
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — thin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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