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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 116 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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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: club · cabinet · bark · content · cold · drill · bound · chip

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — to eat
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. content — the amount
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. drill — army training
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — to shout
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bound — certain
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cold — not warm
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — an illness
  23. club — for golf
  24. chip — in a computer

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