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

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. file — a tool
  4. mug — a face
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stand — to bear
  7. file — a document
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. file — a line of people
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — for spectators

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