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

Word bank: straw · cell · hide · rock · jam · toast · track · court

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rock — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. toast — bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cell — in biology

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