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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cold — an illness
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. suit — clothes
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. club — for dancing
  18. board — a committee
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. file — a document

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