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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. charge — in control
  12. court — of law
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — a price
  19. bass — the fish
  20. court — for sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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