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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: tube · staff · chip · lie · cabinet · track · kid · scale

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. track — a song
  7. scale — in music
  8. lie — to recline
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. tube — a container
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — for betting
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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