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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. object — an aim
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — child
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — final
  24. object — a thing

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