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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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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — a hole
  6. squash — the sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ball — a great time
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kid — child
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a dance
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — in golf
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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