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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. land — a country
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tube — a container
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. nail — on a finger

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