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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  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 — a cupboard
  2. can — to be able to
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — size or range
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — help
  11. charge — in control
  12. scale — in music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. charge — a price
  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