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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — to recline
  3. club — for dancing
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hand — help
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. swing — in golf
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. straw — a straw man

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