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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 124 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. kid — child
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — steady
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in biology
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cabinet — ministers

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