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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. key — in music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. press — a publisher
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. kid — child
  22. key — for a lock
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. key — the most important part

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