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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pass — a permit
  9. charge — in control
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. charge — a price
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. hand — help
  18. cue — a hint
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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