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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: pound · pit · net · cell · safe · cabinet · capital · ground

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a city
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — in sport
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ground — a position
  13. cell — in biology
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. capital — money
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — for catching
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. safe — a strongbox

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