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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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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 · roll · mug · toast · date · pitcher · kid · chip

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — a list
  8. mug — to rob
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chip — for betting
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — child
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. kid — to tease
  22. toast — bread
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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