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

Word bank: squash · capital · cell · snap · bound · cabinet · lash · lie

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lie — to recline
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cell — a phone
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bound — certain
  18. squash — to crush
  19. snap — to click
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a city
  23. cell — in biology
  24. capital — money

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