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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 · ruler · land · straw · mouse · craft · pit · foot

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. land — to come down
  3. kid — child
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — a measure
  8. pit — a hole
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. craft — boats
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — a skill
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — a country
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. land — ground

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