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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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 — the Cold War
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. court — of a king
  7. root — the cause
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. root — of a word
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  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