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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
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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: lie · game · mug · mouse · cold · swing · hand · hide

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lie — to recline
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hand — help

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