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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for dancing
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — the most important part
  10. club — for golf
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. staff — a stick
  16. club — a group
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — the sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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