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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 · chip · toast · lie · hide · net · field · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chip — for betting
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. net — for catching
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — in sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — for sport
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. toast — bread
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chip — to eat
  24. field — a subject

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