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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. track — a path
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bank — of a river
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mate — a partner
  11. drill — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. court — of law
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — for sport

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