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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 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cap — a lid
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pass — a permit
  14. chest — a box
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cold — an illness
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fan — a supporter

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