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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. can — a tin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — for golf
  7. can — a tin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — to go on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. deal — to handle
  19. can — to be able to
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. last — final
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. kid — to tease
  24. club — a group

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