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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. swing — to play on
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. staff — employees
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. swing — music
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fan — to cool the air

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