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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. pitch — completely
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — for spectators

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