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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. key — the most important part
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — in music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. key — for a lock
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rest — a break
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — the underground

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