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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: kid · bowl · deal · clip · suit · trunk · season · straw

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. season — of the year
  6. clip — to cut
  7. suit — clothes
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. suit — to fit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — a video
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — in sport

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