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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. swing — to play on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — hasty
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. swing — music
  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