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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pit — a hole
  11. game — a match
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. game — wild animals
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pit — in a race
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cold — not warm

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