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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. court — of a king
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — a series
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rash — hasty
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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