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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
468
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: ball · firm · toast · suit · cabinet · cold · clip · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. firm — a company
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cold — not warm
  10. clip — to cut
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. roll — a list
  15. clip — for paper
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. firm — steady
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. firm — decided
  24. clip — a video

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