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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chest — a box
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. staff — employees
  6. cue — for pool
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cue — a hint
  12. kid — child
  13. mate — to breed
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. staff — a stick
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — of your body
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — to tease

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