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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · squash · stick · cabinet · suit · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. 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. kick — a thrill
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. suit — in cards
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cell — in biology
  14. suit — to fit
  15. kick — in football
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. 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