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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bound — certain
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cap — of ice
  8. can — a tin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. court — of a king
  12. cold — not warm
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — tied together
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — help
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ball — a dance

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