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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pound — to hit hard

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