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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: fall · tube · cold · mate · chip · pit · wind · fan

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mate — a friend
  4. tube — a container
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tube — the underground
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. tube — in a tire

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