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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · hand · firm · nail · ground · rock · chip · last

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rock — a stone
  4. last — finally
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — final
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — decided
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. cold — not warm
  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