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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: cabinet · rock · present · dip · chair · kick · net · date

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. date — the fruit
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — a gift
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — for catching
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — in sport
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. present — there
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rock — a stone
  17. present — the time now
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rock — music
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cabinet — ministers

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