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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. swing — to play on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. swing — music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. craft — a skill
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — of water
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — a country
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cold — not warm
  21. land — ground
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — boats

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