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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — to go on
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. staff — a stick
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — final
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — employees
  17. pop — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pop — soda
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — employees

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