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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — to eat
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. band — a ring
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mate — to breed

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