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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.

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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: rest · straw · cabinet · chip · calf · scale · present · land

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. land — to come down
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. present — there
  12. present — a gift
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — the time now
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. calf — a young animal

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