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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — for catching
  7. key — in music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bat — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. net — after costs
  24. bat — in an idiom

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