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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: charge · cabinet · file · net · rush · kick · stand · squash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. charge — in control
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stand — to bear
  8. net — in sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. file — a tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. squash — to crush
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. net — after costs

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