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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bass — low music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — certain
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mate — a partner
  24. cold — not warm

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