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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wake — a trail
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lie — to recline
  21. file — a document
  22. root — of a word
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. file — a line of people

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