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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: leaves · cold · club · jam · bowl · mouse · ball · clip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. club — for golf
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. clip — to cut
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. clip — a video
  17. club — a group
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cold — not warm
  22. ball — a dance
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — for a computer

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