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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. board — to get on
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bass — low music
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — a weight
  15. board — a committee
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. clip — a video
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hide — to keep secret

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