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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 116 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: bay · object · cold · cap · season · court · swing · firm

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cold — not warm
  3. firm — decided
  4. swing — to play on
  5. firm — a company
  6. swing — in golf
  7. season — of the year
  8. object — an aim
  9. firm — steady
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cap — a hat
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. season — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. swing — music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. court — for sport

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