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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: net · land · cabinet · chip · deal · dip · pop · saw

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. deal — to handle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. land — to come down
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pop — soda
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to sink
  17. net — in sport
  18. land — a country
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — ground
  23. net — for catching
  24. chip — in a computer

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