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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bore — to tire
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kid — child
  15. press — to push
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. drill — army training
  21. press — newspapers
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pit — a hole
  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