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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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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 · stand · sharp · foot · stick · bay · mate · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kid — child
  9. mate — a friend
  10. foot — a measure
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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