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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: present · cabinet · net · rush · content · last · saw · cap

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — there
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — final
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — happy
  21. last — to go on
  22. present — the time now
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — finally

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