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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: hide · kid · safe · stick · straw · swing · ground · shower

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. swing — to play on
  6. kid — child
  7. ground — crushed
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ground — the earth
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. shower — rain
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — a position
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kid — to tease
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. swing — music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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