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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: arm · rash · last · cold · date · chip · ground · cue

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cold — not warm
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cue — a hint
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cue — for pool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. last — final
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — finally
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rash — a series
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rash — hasty
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. arm — part of the body

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