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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a face
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mug — a cup
  14. press — to push
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — a series
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — a publisher
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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