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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a great time
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — of the year
  10. craft — a skill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cue — a hint
  15. craft — boats
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. season — in sport
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kid — child
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cold — not warm

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