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

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cold — an illness
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. swing — in golf
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cold — not warm
  18. swing — music

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