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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 120 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 · mark · rush · pit · safe · bowl · hand · kid

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. kid — child
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. mark — a grade

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