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

Word bank: jam · cell · file · wind · chip · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. kid — child
  5. file — a document
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wind — moving air

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