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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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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: deal · firm · coach · ball · mine · bulb · track · cold

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. firm — steady
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — to keep track
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cold — an illness
  15. track — a song
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — a company
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a path
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bulb — for light

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