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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — for sport
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. key — in music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — the amount
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — a company
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — not warm
  12. firm — decided
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — of law
  22. content — happy
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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