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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rash — a series
  16. staff — a stick
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — employees
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. firm — decided

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