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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. net — for catching
  3. race — the arms race
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mate — a friend
  6. net — in sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. charge — in control
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. race — a contest
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. charge — electricity
  20. net — after costs
  21. charge — a price
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — in biology

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