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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 124 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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — of the year
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wake — a trail
  9. track — to keep track
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cold — not warm
  14. roll — a cake
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — an illness
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. hide — to keep secret

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