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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 116 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. capital — a city
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — a series
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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