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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: cell · cabinet · pound · roll · hand · lash · kid · race

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. race — humankind
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — help
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. race — a contest
  12. kid — child
  13. cell — a phone
  14. roll — a list
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kid — to tease
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pound — to hit hard

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