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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 120 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chest — a box
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. last — finally
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a great time
  12. season — in sport
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. last — to go on
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — final
  23. cold — an illness
  24. snap — to click

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