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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mug — a face
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — not warm
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bat — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. root — of a word
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. swing — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hide — animal skin

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