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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. squash — to crush
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. club — for golf
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — a group
  20. kid — to tease
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wave — of the sea

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