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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. bat — the animal
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — in music
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — size or range
  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