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

Word bank: saw · cold · bowl · object · rash · band · capital · deal

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rash — hasty
  5. object — to protest
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. object — a thing
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. object — an aim
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a music group
  16. cold — an illness
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. band — a ring
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bowl — a football final

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