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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a trace
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cue — for pool
  9. land — to come down
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. land — a country
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

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