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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: cold · key · lie · stock · chip · drill · tube · shower

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. key — the most important part
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. shower — to wash
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. drill — army training
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — a practice
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — a container
  23. shower — rain
  24. stock — a soup base

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