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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.

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 · press · season · foot · patient · club · clip · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. club — a group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — a publisher
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. season — of the year
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. season — in sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. press — newspapers
  18. club — for golf
  19. clip — a video
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chip — to eat
  23. press — to push
  24. season — to add flavour

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