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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 120 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: cell · pitcher · mine · cabinet · fan · hand · suit · can

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. suit — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. suit — clothes
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cell — in biology
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. suit — to fit
  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