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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. roll — a list
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — the earth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. roll — a cake
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. club — for dancing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — for golf
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ground — a position
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ground — crushed
  24. club — a group

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