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

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. club — a group
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — for golf
  16. snap — to click
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. ball — a dance
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — for dancing
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cold — not warm

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