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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ground — a position
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. drill — a practice
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. drill — army training
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hide — animal skin

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