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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: rule · craft · roll · straw · saw · kid · chip · pitcher

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rule — a law
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kid — to tease
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rule — government
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — child
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. craft — a skill
  21. chip — for betting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. chip — to eat

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