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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a music group
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rule — government
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rule — a law
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. band — a ring
  19. squash — the sport
  20. court — of law
  21. squash — to crush
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cap — of ice

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