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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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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: cabinet · cell · shower · cap · straw · bowl · lash · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — a lid
  7. shower — rain
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — of law
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — to wash
  17. court — for sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. straw — a straw man

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