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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bass — low music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. suit — in cards
  16. kick — in football
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. suit — clothes
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bass — the fish

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