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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. chip — to eat
  11. last — to go on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. can — a tin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — final
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a match
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — a tin

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