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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.

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: capital · bowl · clip · hand · cabinet · rash · lash · ruler

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — money
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. capital — a city
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. hand — help
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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