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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: cell · fan · cue · mine · fine · chip · staff · cold

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. staff — employees
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — not warm

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