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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — thin
  5. chip — for betting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. chip — to eat
  8. drill — army training
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lean — to bend
  24. chair — a leader

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