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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: roll · cap · cabinet · club · rest · lash · chest · perch

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rest — what's left
  5. club — for dancing
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. club — for golf
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chest — a box
  14. club — a group
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rest — a break
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. roll — a list
  20. chest — of your body
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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