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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: ball · ruler · wave · present · pop · key · snap · cold

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. key — in music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. present — the time now
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. present — there
  8. pop — soda
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pop — to visit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. snap — to click
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pop — music
  18. present — a gift
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cold — not warm
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — the Cold War

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