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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. row — a line
  6. cell — a phone
  7. last — to go on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. last — finally
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — final
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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