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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: cabinet · toast · land · mine · chest · fan · charge · net

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — in control
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chest — a box
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. land — to come down
  15. net — for catching
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. charge — a price
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — in sport
  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