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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — in sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hide — animal skin

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