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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: last · hand · pass · can · march · cabinet · net · vault

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. hand — help
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. can — a tin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. last — final
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. last — to go on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. net — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. net — after costs
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. march — the month
  20. vault — a safe
  21. march — music
  22. last — finally
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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