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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — a break
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rest — what's left
  16. board — to get on
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — a match
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mouse — for a computer

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