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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. firm — a company
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mug — to rob
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. degree — from a university
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — temperature
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. race — humankind
  20. mug — a cup
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. firm — decided
  23. race — a contest
  24. mug — a face

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