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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — help
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. key — for a lock
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a great time

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