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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. court — of a king
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. can — to be able to
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. rule — government
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pop — soda
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pop — music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — not warm

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