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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 120 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: coach · ball · mine · net · lie · wound · kick · cabinet

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. net — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a dance
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ball — a great time
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — an explosive
  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