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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · rule · face · cabinet · craft · fine · game · kid

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — child
  9. fine — high quality
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — government
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — in sport
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — a match
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rule — a law
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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