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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: cabinet · land · bat · drill · board · net · fine · object

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. net — in sport
  6. land — ground
  7. drill — army training
  8. land — to come down
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. object — to protest
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. board — to get on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — a thing
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. board — a committee

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