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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: tear · last · hand · ground · charge · cold · cue · ball

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a dance
  5. charge — in control
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. last — final
  12. tear — to rip
  13. charge — a price
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. ground — the earth
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cue — for pool

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