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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: pitcher · net · last · land · cabinet · firm · bat · suit

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. 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. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — decided
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. firm — steady
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — for catching
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. firm — a company
  13. net — after costs
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — to come down
  18. net — in sport
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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