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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: game · deal · shower · snap · chip · file · rash · cabinet

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — for betting
  5. file — a tool
  6. game — a match
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rash — a series
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. game — wild animals
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. snap — to click
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. chip — to eat
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cabinet — ministers

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