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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fine — all right
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — a city
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. capital — money
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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