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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · cold · fan · object · season · ball · mug · game

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — a match
  13. object — an aim
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. object — to protest
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a dance
  18. sharp — clever
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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