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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. track — a song
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — to shout
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. track — to keep track
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — a path
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. swing — in golf
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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