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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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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. court — for sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — to get on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. race — humankind
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — the arms race
  16. ball — a dance
  17. court — of law
  18. cold — an illness
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. court — of a king
  21. board — a committee
  22. ball — a great time
  23. race — a contest
  24. mouse — for a computer

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