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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bass — low music
  6. rock — music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — a price
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bore — to drill
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. charge — in control
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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