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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: chip · tube · cabinet · perch · mark · hand · net · sharp

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. net — in sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — a grade
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tube — a container
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hand — help

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