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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — clothes
  10. march — the month
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wind — moving air
  18. suit — in cards
  19. perch — the fish
  20. march — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chest — a box
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. chest — of your body

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