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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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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: chip · fan · net · cold · hide · charge · rash · band

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a ring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. charge — in control
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — a price
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rash — hasty
  19. net — after costs
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — for catching

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