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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of law
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. swing — music
  24. court — of a king

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