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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bank — for money

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