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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: lash · cabinet · rule · staff · field · scale · pitcher · chip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chip — for betting
  6. field — farmland
  7. chip — to eat
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rule — government
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rule — a law
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. scale — in music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — in a computer

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