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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: lean · file · content · cabinet · arm · chip · pitcher · wound

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — happy
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. lean — thin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lean — to rest against

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