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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. charge — a price
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cue — for pool
  24. charge — in control

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