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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — low music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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