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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: bass · race · chip · current · date · press · cabinet · fan

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — the fruit
  4. race — humankind
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. current — happening now
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. press — newspapers
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. press — to push
  17. bass — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bass — low music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cabinet — ministers

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