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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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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: chip · cabinet · lie · stick · tube · toast · tear · suit

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — in cards
  15. toast — bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tube — a container
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chip — for betting

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