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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — to tease
  5. tear — from crying
  6. last — final
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pop — soda
  11. mug — to rob
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. object — a thing
  16. tear — to rip
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — a face
  19. object — to protest
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mug — a cup
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. object — an aim
  24. pop — to visit

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