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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: racket · file · club · jam · chip · cold · lash · fork

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. cold — an illness
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chip — for betting
  12. club — for golf
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chip — to eat
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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