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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: game · charge · last · cabinet · row · ground · cold · net

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — the earth
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a line
  5. last — final
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. charge — a price
  12. ground — crushed
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — finally
  15. game — a match
  16. ground — a position
  17. cold — not warm
  18. last — to go on
  19. charge — electricity
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. charge — in control
  22. cold — an illness
  23. net — after costs
  24. cold — the Cold War

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