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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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. scale — in music
  4. pop — soda
  5. fine — all right
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — a partner
  9. land — to come down
  10. pop — to visit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fine — high quality
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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