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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: kick · jam · net · cabinet · file · key · date · cell

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. key — for a lock
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cell — a phone
  9. file — a line of people
  10. net — in sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cell — in biology
  17. file — a tool
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. file — a document
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. key — in music
  24. kick — in football

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