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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — soda
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — all right
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pop — music
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. club — for golf
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. squash — to crush

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