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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tube — a container
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. charge — in control
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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