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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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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: cue · wind · ball · key · patient · present · cold · last

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — final
  9. present — a gift
  10. key — for a lock
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — there
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cue — for pool
  18. key — in music
  19. cue — a signal
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. key — the most important part
  22. present — the time now
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ball — a dance

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