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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. can — to be able to
  3. foot — a measure
  4. land — to come down
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — the most important part
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — in music
  11. last — finally
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cold — an illness
  14. land — a country
  15. last — to go on
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. last — final
  22. key — for a lock
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cold — not warm

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