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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — help
  9. stand — to bear
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — soda
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. scale — in music
  24. plane — in geometry

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