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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: game · file · chip · shower · present · cabinet · coach · bore

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — rain
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. present — there
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. game — wild animals
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chip — to eat
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. present — the time now
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — a trainer

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