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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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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: cell · deal · bound · cabinet · stick · squash · rest · kid

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — child
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — a phone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — to tease
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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