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

Word bank: kick · row · field · dip · cold · ruler · hide · squash

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. cold — not warm
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. field — a subject
  20. squash — to crush
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. cold — an illness
  24. row — a line

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