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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: mine · net · bank · fork · cue · sharp · cabinet · season

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. cue — a signal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — for catching
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — in sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — clever

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