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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. can — a tin
  4. rule — a law
  5. can — to be able to
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. can — a tin
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rule — government
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mine — for digging
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fork — in a road
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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