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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: chip · kick · patient · hide · cold · toast · jam · wind

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wind — moving air
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. kick — in football
  16. toast — bread
  17. chip — to eat
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wind — to turn a key

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