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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. kid — child
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. chest — a box
  14. season — in sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. dip — a sauce

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