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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. field — a subject
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rush — hurry
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. kid — child
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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