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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. firm — steady
  5. net — in sport
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — decided
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — after costs
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — for catching
  15. bank — for money
  16. firm — a company
  17. bank — for money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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