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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cold — an illness
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cap — a hat
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bank — for money
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. press — to push
  18. cold — not warm
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bank — of a river
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cold — the Cold War

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