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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.

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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: cap · cold · mug · band · safe · bowl · pop · court

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. court — for sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. cap — a hat
  10. band — a ring
  11. cold — not warm
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pop — soda
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mug — to rob
  18. court — of a king
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cold — an illness

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