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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: last · mark · kick · saw · chip · cabinet · row · dip

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. kick — in football
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. last — final
  11. mark — a grade
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. dip — to sink
  14. last — to go on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — to eat
  20. last — finally
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. saw — the tool

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