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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rule — government
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — for dancing
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. firm — a company
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. club — a group
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. firm — steady
  21. rule — a law
  22. club — for golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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