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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — finally
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fine — all right
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bank — for money
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — to go on
  19. rush — hurry
  20. last — final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fan — to cool the air

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