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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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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: straw · stick · cold · cue · trunk · key · last · craft

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — finally
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cue — a hint
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cue — a signal
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. key — for a lock
  15. craft — a skill
  16. last — final
  17. craft — boats
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of a tree

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