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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 116 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: cabinet · land · wake · coach · firm · last · file · net

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. last — to go on
  3. firm — a company
  4. net — in sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — a trail
  9. land — ground
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. land — to come down
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. last — final
  16. firm — decided
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. net — after costs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. firm — steady

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