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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chip — to eat
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. saw — the tool
  10. suit — to fit
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — a series
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bank — for money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — for money
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chip — in a computer

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