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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: bear · game · hide · straw · mate · club · bat · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — for golf
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. mug — a face
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mate — a partner
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mate — a friend
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bear — the animal

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