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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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. cold — not warm
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. deal — to handle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bound — tied together
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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