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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: wind · cold · charge · last · saw · pitcher · key · band

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — finally
  12. key — in music
  13. band — a music group
  14. key — the most important part
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — for a lock
  18. charge — a price
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — final
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. charge — electricity

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