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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.

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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 · content · cue · rush · fall · cabinet · shower · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — a video
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fall — the season
  10. content — the amount
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. charge — a price
  14. content — happy
  15. clip — for paper
  16. charge — in control
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cue — a signal

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