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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ball — a great time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rule — a law
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — government
  14. can — a tin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cold — an illness
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. toast — bread
  21. club — for golf
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — a group

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