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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
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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: kick · last · bat · chip · straw · press · craft · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. last — final
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bat — the animal
  15. press — to push
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. craft — boats
  23. kick — in football
  24. chip — to eat

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