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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. spring — the season
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — not warm
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mug — a face
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mug — to rob

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