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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cell — a phone
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. key — the most important part
  6. board — to get on
  7. key — in music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — money

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