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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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Word bank
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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — in golf
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — music
  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