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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. scale — in music
  3. mug — a face
  4. board — to get on
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — to rob
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cold — an illness
  13. scale — size or range
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. track — a song
  17. saw — the tool
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — a path
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mug — a cup

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