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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: hand · temple · fan · chip · chest · pop · cabinet · calf

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chest — a box
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pop — soda
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — of the leg

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