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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. race — a contest
  7. mine — for digging
  8. club — for golf
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. race — humankind
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. roll — a list
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. club — a group
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. plane — a tool
  20. race — the arms race
  21. club — for dancing
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. roll — a cake

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