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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: cold · chip · board · shower · coach · fine · rush · scale

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fine — high quality
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cold — not warm
  12. board — a committee
  13. rush — hurry
  14. board — to get on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. scale — size or range
  24. shower — rain

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