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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — a friend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — a series
  10. kick — in football
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. last — final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. racket — for tennis

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