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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: staff · bowl · saw · mate · wound · ball · cold · fine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mate — to breed
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fine — all right

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