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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. charge — a price
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pop — soda
  11. firm — steady
  12. cold — not warm
  13. court — for sport
  14. cold — an illness
  15. court — of law
  16. ball — a dance
  17. court — of a king
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — a company
  22. pop — music
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fork — a garden tool

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