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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pound — a weight
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mug — to rob
  8. object — to protest
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a cup
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mug — a face
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. object — a thing
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — an aim
  24. plane — an aircraft

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