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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. suit — clothes
  5. ball — a dance
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — a position
  9. ball — a great time
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — a series
  16. suit — to fit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rule — government
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pass — a permit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — a law
  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