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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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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: straw · face · bank · pass · cue · degree · chip · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. face — to confront
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. face — to point toward
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — for money
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pass — a permit
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. chip — for betting
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bank — for money
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — to eat

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