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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: wake · foot · band · cabinet · roll · club · pit · net

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for golf
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — for dancing
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. club — a group
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. foot — a measure
  15. band — a music group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. roll — a list
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. net — in sport

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