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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
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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 · hand · rash · deal · mug · stick · rock · straw

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. rock — music
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mug — to rob
  16. kid — child
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rash — a series
  24. deal — to handle

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