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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: date · sharp · cabinet · snap · chair · cap · nail · trunk

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. snap — to click
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a lid
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. sharp — with an edge

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