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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — of a river
  11. court — of law
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ball — a dance
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bank — for money
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — to get on

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