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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rash — hasty
  8. cold — an illness
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pound — a weight
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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