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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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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: charge · cabinet · leaves · mate · lash · cold · face · bat

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. charge — a price
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — a partner
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — in an idiom

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