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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — to shout
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. can — to be able to
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — child

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