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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — a gift
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — there
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rest — what's left
  13. present — the time now
  14. cold — not warm
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — a break
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — music
  21. rock — music
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pound — for dogs

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