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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: charge · hand · club · ground · bound · net · cabinet · mine

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. club — for golf
  5. charge — a price
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hand — help
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. net — for catching
  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