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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — thin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cold — an illness
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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