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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · nail · game · rest · hide · kid · straw · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. kid — child
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — wild animals
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rest — what's left

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