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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. perch — the fish
  8. board — to get on
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — high quality
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fine — all right
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — the Cold War

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