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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a ring
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — an amount
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. craft — boats
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — in cards

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