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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. club — for dancing
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. club — a group
  7. shower — rain
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cap — a hat
  16. can — a tin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — part of the head
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cold — not warm
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — a lid

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