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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. kid — child
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. toast — bread
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kid — to tease
  18. squash — the vegetable

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