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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — hasty
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hide — to keep secret

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