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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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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 · shower · bound · ground · scale · cue · pitcher · cabinet

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — for catching
  5. shower — rain
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. scale — in music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — a signal
  16. net — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — after costs
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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