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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lie — to recline
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — letters
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spell — a short time

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