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

Word bank: cell · bank · cabinet · bowl · kick · court

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. 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. bowl — a dish
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — of a king
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. 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