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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mouse — for a computer

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