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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: object · face · hide · mug · pound · lean · pit · cold

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. object — an aim
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. object — to protest
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cold — an illness
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pound — a weight
  24. object — a thing

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