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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a line
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — not warm
  14. press — to push
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. dip — to sink
  17. press — newspapers
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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