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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. court — for sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. court — of a king
  10. fine — all right
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kid — child
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — a phone
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. firm — steady

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