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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.

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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 · can · key · ground · mug · last · chip · patient

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cold — not warm
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — to go on
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ground — crushed
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. last — finally
  16. key — in music
  17. mug — a face
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. ground — a position
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chip — for betting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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