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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: cold · firm · toast · current · chip · wake · key · trunk

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. current — electric
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. current — happening now
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — an illness
  20. toast — bread
  21. current — of water
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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