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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: spell · rush · cold · chip · deal · face · leaves · land

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — a country
  16. face — to point toward
  17. land — ground
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. face — to confront
  20. cold — not warm
  21. deal — to handle
  22. spell — a short time
  23. face — part of the head
  24. leaves — lets stay

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