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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.

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: hide · game · dip · straw · nail · leaves · cold · toast

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. dip — to sink
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — not warm
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — a match
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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