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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: net · hand · cap · pitch · straw · cell · row · cabinet

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. row — a line
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. net — for catching
  23. hand — help
  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