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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cold — not warm
  5. squash — the sport
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. squash — to crush
  10. key — the most important part
  11. court — of a king
  12. bore — to drill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. key — for a lock
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bore — to tire
  21. key — in music
  22. rest — a break
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. rest — what's left

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