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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. cell — a phone
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. kick — in football
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  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