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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: fine · net · hide · hand · saw · board · mug · cabinet

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hand — help
  7. fine — all right
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — for catching
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. net — in sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. board — a committee

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