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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spell — magic
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of a king
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — letters
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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