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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — child
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — soda
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rash — hasty
  13. roll — a cake
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pop — to visit
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. roll — on a roll

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