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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. ball — a great time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — to crush

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