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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 120 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 · wake · fine · cap · net · chip · coach · cold

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — in sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fine — all right
  13. cap — a hat
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — a trail
  23. net — after costs
  24. coach — a trainer

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