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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — a city
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pitch — a sports field

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