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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 120 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: lash · net · cabinet · march · pit · can · mug · mate

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. march — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — in sport
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. can — a tin
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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