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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. club — a group
  9. suit — to fit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. suit — clothes
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — money
  15. court — of a king
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. race — a contest
  18. rock — music
  19. cold — an illness
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — humankind
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cold — not warm

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