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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pound — a weight
  10. last — finally
  11. cold — not warm
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mug — a face
  20. kick — in football
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — final
  24. pitcher — a jug

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