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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. present — the time now
  15. face — to confront
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. face — part of the head
  19. present — there
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. deal — to handle
  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