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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. staff — a stick
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — child
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — a face
  14. press — newspapers
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pound — a weight
  21. swing — to play on
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — music

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