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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: straw · hide · rule · wake · spell · pitch · ball · swing

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a dance
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — a law
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — music
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. rule — government
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — magic

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