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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: saw · cabinet · kick · sharp · perch · straw · pop · kid

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — child
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. saw — the tool

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