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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: cold · file · face · chip · cue · perch · firm · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. cue — a hint
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. perch — the fish
  6. file — a document
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. face — to confront
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cue — for pool
  14. firm — steady
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a tool
  18. row — a line
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — not warm
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — decided
  24. cold — an illness

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