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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. race — humankind
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. race — the arms race
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — a contest
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hide — animal skin

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