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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. file — a document
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. file — a tool
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — a city
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. capital — money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mouse — for a computer

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