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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: capital · track · mine · lash · hand · date · cabinet · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. track — a path
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. capital — a city
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. date — on the calendar

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