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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: chest · pop · march · capital · bore · cabinet · net · lie

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chest — a box
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. capital — a city
  19. net — for catching
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — to recline

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