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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bound — obliged
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ground — a position
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — the animal

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