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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: season · chip · track · cabinet · cold · mine · roll · safe

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. roll — a cake
  10. season — of the year
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. track — a song
  18. cold — an illness
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. track — to keep track

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