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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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. cue — a signal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. land — a country
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wind — moving air
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. chip — to eat

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