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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: drill · cold · chip · face · fan · cue · bound · clip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cue — for pool
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. clip — a video
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. drill — army training
  23. clip — to cut
  24. face — to point toward

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