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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rule — a law
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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