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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cold — an illness
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. cold — not warm
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bass — low music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — of the year
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bass — the fish
  24. arm — part of the 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