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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cold — not warm
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fall — the season
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ball — a great time
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — the Cold War

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