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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cabinet · mouse · mug · hide · net · rash · dip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mug — a face
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — after costs
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — a series
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cell — a phone

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