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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. squash — the sport
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — an injury
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — a friend
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. squash — to crush
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — to breed
  15. suit — in cards
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. suit — clothes
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — to fit
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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