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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — a permit
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. track — a path
  5. land — to come down
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — the season
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. roll — a cake
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. track — to keep track
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. land — a country
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — ground
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. rush — hurry

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