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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · ruler · cabinet · fine · cap · squash · toast · chip

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — all right
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the sport
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mug — a cup
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — to rob
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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