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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · kid · mouse · bowl · straw · ruler

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kid — child
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish

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