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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cold — not warm
  7. band — a music group
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — magic
  19. fine — all right
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. chip — to eat

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