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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. scale — in music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — of a king
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cold — the Cold War

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