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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — temperature
  6. track — a song
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. track — a path
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lie — to recline
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — a series
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — on the skin

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