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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: chip · cold · firm · press · ball · track · tube · band

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. press — to push
  3. chip — for betting
  4. band — a ring
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chip — to eat
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tube — a container
  11. cold — an illness
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a song
  14. cold — not warm
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. tube — the underground
  18. firm — a company
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. firm — decided
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. firm — steady
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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