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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: chest · cabinet · wound · rush · tear · cue · chip · kick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chest — a box
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cue — a hint
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cue — a signal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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