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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bound — certain
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — obliged
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bound — tied together
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mate — to breed
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. toast — bread

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