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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rash — a series
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fan — a supporter

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