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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · bound · rash · fan · coach · chip · cell · kick

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cell — in biology
  7. file — a tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kick — in football
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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