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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: game · cabinet · coach · net · fall · stand · bound · cell

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — after costs
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — the season
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. net — for catching

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