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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: rest · clip · fine · cold · lean · chip · safe · cabinet

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rest — a break
  8. fine — high quality
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chip — for betting
  17. lean — thin
  18. fine — all right
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. clip — a video
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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