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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: snap · can · shower · mug · game · mine · cabinet · net

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — to rob
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — a tin
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mug — a face
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. net — for catching
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — for digging
  18. can — to be able to
  19. net — in sport
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — after costs

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