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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.

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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: net · cabinet · pop · fork · hide · staff · kick · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. kick — in football
  5. staff — employees
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pop — soda
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — in sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — to visit
  24. staff — a stick

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