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

Word bank: bore · file · racket · chip · cold · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. chip — for betting
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — not warm
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. file — a tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rule — government
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cold — an illness
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a document
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cold — the Cold War

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