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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — of a king
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. court — of law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rest — what's left
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fan — to cool the air

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