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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: firm · cell · cabinet · net · pitcher · hand · mug · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. net — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — a company
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a cup
  16. firm — steady
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — a phone
  20. firm — decided
  21. mug — a face
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  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