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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cue — for pool
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. object — an aim
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — not warm
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — to protest
  20. fine — all right
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — of law
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. object — a thing

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