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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. charge — a price
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. band — a music group
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — for sport
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. court — of law
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. court — of a king
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. charge — in control
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. band — a ring
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a rubber band

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