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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 116 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: mine · lash · kick · file · racket · cue · patient · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — for digging
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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