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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · file · net · cabinet · chip · fall · vault · hide

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chip — to eat
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fall — the season
  16. net — for catching
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. scale — in music

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