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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: ball · cell · can · rule · racket · lash · clip · fine

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rule — government
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fine — all right
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rule — a law
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — high quality
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. can — to be able to
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a great time
  24. racket — for tennis

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