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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. last — final
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — finally
  11. craft — boats
  12. key — the most important part
  13. last — to go on
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cold — an illness
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chip — for betting
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — in music
  24. hide — animal skin

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