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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 · pitcher · last · cold · tear · squash · lie · rash

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. last — to go on
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tear — from crying
  5. last — finally
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. squash — to crush
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — a series
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — hasty

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