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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. club — a group
  5. band — a ring
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — of water
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. row — a line
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — a coil
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a quarrel

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