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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: leaves · firm · ruler · face · cold · ball · pop · kid

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — to visit
  4. firm — decided
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cold — not warm
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. firm — a company
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — soda
  17. firm — steady
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pop — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ball — a dance

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