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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: straw · racket · rash · file · leaves · scale · wake · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kid — to tease
  11. file — a document
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wake — a trail
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — size or range
  20. kid — child
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. file — a tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. leaves — lets stay

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