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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pitch — completely
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. club — for golf
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bulb — for light
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stock — shares
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. club — a group

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