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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. firm — a company
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of a king
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. firm — steady
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — decided
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. march — music
  24. cold — an illness

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