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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — soda
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — to visit
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. firm — steady
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. mug — a face
  16. firm — a company
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. game — a match
  21. firm — decided
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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