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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: band · arm · spell · net · cabinet · content · kick · shower

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. net — in sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. content — the amount
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — letters
  9. kick — in football
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — rain
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — for catching
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spell — magic

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