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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ball — a great time
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. scale — in music
  9. charge — electricity
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. toast — bread
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. land — ground
  15. charge — in control
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. foot — a measure
  18. scale — size or range
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — not warm
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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