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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 120 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a ring
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a music group
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — in football
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. straw — dry grass

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