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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. firm — a company
  3. march — music
  4. roll — a cake
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. kid — to tease
  7. roll — a list
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — for digging
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — child
  12. firm — steady
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lean — thin
  21. firm — decided
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. lean — to bend
  24. safe — out of danger

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