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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tear — from crying
  6. present — the time now
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — not warm
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. present — a gift
  21. mug — a cup
  22. present — there
  23. key — in music
  24. mug — to rob

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