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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mug — to rob
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cold — not warm
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mug — a face
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. tear — from crying
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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