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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rest — a break
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cap — a lid
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. net — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — of ice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. net — after costs
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — for catching
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. straw — a straw man

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