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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. court — for sport
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cue — a hint
  8. court — of a king
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cue — a signal
  11. court — of law
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mug — a face
  15. bore — to drill
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cue — for pool
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. last — final
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. bore — gave birth

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