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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chip · tear · field · cabinet · board · hide · pitcher · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. board — to get on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a committee
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — a subject
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. tear — from crying

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