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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bore · cold · mate · chip · leaves · game · bowl

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. cold — not warm
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to drill
  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