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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — rain
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. band — a music group
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — hurry
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — to eat
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. band — a ring
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — to sit on

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