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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.

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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: ruler · cabinet · ball · current · kid · stick · lash · charge

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. 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. ball — a great time
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a dance
  6. charge — a price
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. current — electric
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. charge — in control
  14. kid — child
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — of water
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. 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