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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.

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: kick · roll · scale · squash · can · cabinet · bound · net

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — for catching
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kick — in football
  9. net — after costs
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — in sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. scale — in music
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. squash — to crush
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bound — certain
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. can — to be able to
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. can — a tin

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