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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. kid — child
  5. wake — a trail
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. content — the amount
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kid — to tease
  17. content — happy
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. content — videos and posts

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