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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 · mate · safe · racket · chest · cold · chip · season

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — of the year
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — of your body
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. racket — a loud noise

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