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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — of water
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cold — an illness
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mug — to rob
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — a coil
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mug — a face
  24. cold — not warm

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