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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: cold · chip · hide · dip · mark · cap · rush · fork

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — hurry
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. hide — to keep secret

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