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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rest — a break
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cell — in biology

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