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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ground — a position
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cold — not warm

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