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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spring — a coil
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — of the year
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spring — the season
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — of water
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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