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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: rule · roll · pitcher · cold · wound · dip · ball · chair

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rule — a law
  14. cold — not warm
  15. chair — a leader
  16. roll — a cake
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. roll — a list

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