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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — child
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — to go on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a partner
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. last — final
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — dry grass

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