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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. 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. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ball — a dance
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. club — a group
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bound — certain
  16. club — for golf
  17. can — a tin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — obliged
  24. 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