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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. current — happening now
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kick — in football
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — a measure
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. lie — to recline
  21. current — of water
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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