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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: band · net · suit · mouse · drill · sharp · cold · cabinet

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. band — a music group
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. suit — clothes
  11. net — after costs
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. net — for catching
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. suit — to fit
  20. band — a ring
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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