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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: kid · mug · hand · safe · last · jam · chip · straw

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. hand — in cards
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. last — final
  5. chip — to eat
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. mug — a face
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mug — to rob
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mug — a cup
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hand — help
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. last — to go on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. last — finally

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