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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to click
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a music group
  14. club — for golf
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a ring
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. swing — in golf
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. club — a group
  21. swing — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. chair — a leader
  24. club — for dancing

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