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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: roll · wave · cue · cold · rash · chip · band · bat

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chip — to eat
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — a signal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cold — an illness
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cue — a hint
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bat — the animal

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