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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — in football
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — child
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. season — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pit — a hole
  17. row — a line
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kid — to tease
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kick — a thrill

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