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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lie — to recline
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. game — a match
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. row — to paddle
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. current — happening now
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — for golf
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — electric
  21. snap — to click
  22. current — of water
  23. row — a line
  24. club — for dancing

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