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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. field — farmland
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. field — a subject
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — a hole
  19. snap — to click
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wave — with your hand
  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