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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — a group
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. toast — bread
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of law
  8. club — for golf
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — child
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — for dancing
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wax — for sculpting

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