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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: file · saw · deal · chip · content · coach · cold · bass

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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 — an illness
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — the fish
  16. file — a document
  17. cold — not warm
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bass — low music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — happy
  23. deal — to handle
  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