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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: firm · bat · wax · suit · cold · last · band · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. band — a ring
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — to grow
  11. suit — in cards
  12. firm — steady
  13. suit — to fit
  14. last — to go on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. last — final
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. firm — decided
  20. last — finally
  21. suit — clothes
  22. firm — a company
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a music group

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