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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 120 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: cabinet · board · cold · trunk · racket · chip · face · rest

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rest — a break
  16. board — a committee
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cold — an illness
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. board — to get on
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. racket — for tennis

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