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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. net — for catching
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cold — not warm
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. spell — letters
  20. net — after costs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — magic
  24. stand — to bear

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