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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: pop · pitcher · last · ball · cold · scale · saw · key

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. key — for a lock
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — finally
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. scale — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — in music
  23. cold — not warm
  24. saw — the tool

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