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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — a face
  4. kick — in football
  5. mug — a cup
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — a short time

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