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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 116 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: chip · fan · hide · tube · kid · fork · rest · file

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — a container
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. file — a tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chip — for betting
  19. file — a document
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. rest — a break
  23. chip — to eat
  24. rest — what's left

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