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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to drill
  5. squash — the sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. present — the time now
  13. kid — child
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. present — there
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bore — to tire

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