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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. row — a line
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. club — a group
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — for golf
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bass — low music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — child

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