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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: kid · court · bank · bound · rest · net · cabinet · staff

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of a king
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — for catching
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — obliged
  16. kid — child
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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