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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: present · net · fan · cap · file · chip · cold · club

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — in sport
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — for catching
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. present — the time now
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — to eat
  13. net — after costs
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — a gift
  16. cold — not warm
  17. present — there
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a document
  20. cold — an illness
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — a hat

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