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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spring — the season
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spring — of water
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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