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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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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 · board · stick · press · foot · file · chip · pit

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. file — a document
  5. board — to get on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — in a race
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — a committee
  18. chip — to eat
  19. press — to push
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pit — a hole

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