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

Word bank: hide · dip · cold · roll · pass · calf · straw · pit

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cold — not warm
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pit — in a race
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pass — a permit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. roll — a list
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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