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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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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: swing · cold · foot · mouse · cabinet · bear · ball · shower

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. foot — a measure
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. ball — a great time
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — rain
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. swing — to play on

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