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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 · fine · arm · object · bound · mine · pit · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. net — after costs
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — in sport
  13. bound — certain
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fine — high quality
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — for catching
  21. object — an aim
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bound — tied together
  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