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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: file · cap · can · kick · lash · cell · squash · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rash — a series
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cap — of ice
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. file — a tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a document
  14. kick — in football
  15. rash — hasty
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. squash — the sport

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