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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — a series
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — not warm
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. court — for sport
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cue — a hint
  19. last — final
  20. court — of a king
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — to go on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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