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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rash — hasty
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — to confront
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pound — a weight
  13. face — part of the head
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. kid — child
  19. rash — a series
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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