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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: bear · deal · chest · cabinet · kick · cell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chest — a box
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kick — in football
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — in a prison

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