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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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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: cap · chip · snap · fine · content · cabinet · face · mug

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chip — to eat
  4. content — the amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. snap — to click
  9. cap — a hat
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — to confront
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fine — all right
  19. face — part of the head
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

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