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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — letters
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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