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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: mine · lash · cue · rash · fall · mouse · chest · rest

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rest — a break
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. fall — the season
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. mine — an explosive

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