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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. row — a line
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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