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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. suit — in cards
  6. field — farmland
  7. ball — a dance
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — a subject
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ball — a great time
  18. field — for sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. present — there
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chest — of your body

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