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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — for dancing
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — a country
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. club — a group
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. club — for golf
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — before a funeral

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