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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 124 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — to drill
  7. object — an aim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. object — to protest
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to tire
  21. object — a thing
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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