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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pop — soda
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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