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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — tied together
  7. club — for golf
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. net — for catching
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — a group
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bound — certain

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