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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bound — tied together
  10. scale — in music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bound — certain
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. roll — a list
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kid — child
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fan — to cool the air

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