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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of law
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ball — a great time
  9. club — a group
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. club — for golf
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bear — the animal
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — a series
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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