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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: hide · stick · cold · foot · sharp · roll · spring · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. spring — of water
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — an illness
  7. foot — a measure
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — for betting
  14. roll — a list
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. spring — the season
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. roll — a cake
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. sharp — with an edge

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