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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: chip · net · race · cabinet · tear · calf · hide · file

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. net — for catching
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. file — a line of people
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — for betting
  16. race — the arms race
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — to eat
  23. net — in sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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