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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. bank — for money
  2. net — in sport
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bank — for money
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. board — a committee
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  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