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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: lean · court · cabinet · dip · tube · chip · bay · rush

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tube — a container
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tube — the underground
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. dip — to sink
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — for sport

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