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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: chip · charge · fork · cold · suit · fan · court · file

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. file — a document
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chip — for betting
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — an illness
  17. file — a tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. cold — not warm
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a line of people
  23. court — of a king
  24. chip — to eat

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