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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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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: fork · cold · cell · swing · fine · kid · chip · ball

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. swing — music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. chip — for betting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — a phone
  19. ball — a dance
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fine — all right

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