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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. object — an aim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — help
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — to protest
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. object — a thing
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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