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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. field — for sport
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. key — in music
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kick — in football
  7. field — farmland
  8. cold — an illness
  9. field — a subject
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. key — for a lock
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cold — not warm
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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