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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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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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: net · foot · coach · cell · mug · cabinet

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — a phone
  15. net — after costs
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — the bottom

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