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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · kid · capital · chip · jam · nail · lean · shower

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — to wash
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lean — thin
  21. capital — money
  22. lean — to bend
  23. chip — to eat
  24. capital — a city

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