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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: cabinet · lash · mug · scale · ground · mate · net · drill

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. mate — a partner
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. ground — a position
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — to rob
  19. scale — in music
  20. drill — army training
  21. mate — a friend
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — after costs
  24. drill — the tool

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