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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. ball — a great time
  4. race — a contest
  5. pop — soda
  6. charge — electricity
  7. content — the amount
  8. pop — to visit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pop — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — an illness
  21. content — happy
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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