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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cold — not warm
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. key — in music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — in cards
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  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