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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — in sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spring — the season
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cue — a signal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man

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