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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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 — a straw man
  3. bear — the animal
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mug — to rob
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — to get on
  10. race — humankind
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. board — a committee
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kid — child
  18. tear — to rip
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — in sport
  21. race — a contest
  22. tear — from crying
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bear — the animal

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