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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — music
  10. squash — the sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. march — the month
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — to eat
  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