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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: march · snap · stick · cabinet · game · net · pound · ball

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. net — for catching
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — a weight
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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