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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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