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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — a weight
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. band — a ring
  13. last — to go on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — an illness

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