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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: staff · net · cabinet · game · mate · lash · shower · band

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. net — after costs
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a music group
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. net — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — wild animals
  13. shower — rain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. net — for catching
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — a match
  22. mate — a partner
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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