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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chip · bass · fall · clip · stick · net · rash

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — a series
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — low music
  10. clip — to cut
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — for betting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — for catching
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — a video
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bass — the fish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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