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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. plane — a tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. kid — child
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fall — to drop
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a dance
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a great time
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fall — to drop

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