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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 · net · mouse · chip · present · hide · roll · bear

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — for catching
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. present — there
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — the time now

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