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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.

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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. row — a line
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — for catching
  15. club — for golf
  16. degree — from a university
  17. club — a group
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bound — certain
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — in sport
  23. bound — obliged
  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