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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: ball · bank · rest · pass · kid · fine · last · straw

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — child
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rest — what's left
  13. last — to go on
  14. fine — all right
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bank — of a river
  17. last — final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — a break

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