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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ball — a great time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a dance
  7. season — in sport
  8. march — music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cap — of ice
  15. season — of the year
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. key — for a lock
  20. cap — a hat
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — an illness

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