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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — to keep secret
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cold — an illness
  23. staff — a stick
  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