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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: wound · ruler · current · wave · ball · cold · mate · deal

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. current — electric
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a great time
  20. current — happening now
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wound — an injury
  23. deal — to handle
  24. current — of water

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