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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — the tool

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