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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chip · coach · ball · lash · club · nail · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a dance
  4. club — a group
  5. chip — for betting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — an illness
  9. club — for golf
  10. current — of water
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — happening now
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cold — not warm
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. chip — to eat

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