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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. stock — goods
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stock — shares
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — the season
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a partner
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — to breed
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. swing — to play on

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