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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · pitcher · swing · cabinet · cold · band · charge · hide

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a music group
  14. swing — in golf
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — music
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — not warm
  24. charge — electricity

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