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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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Word bank
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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: fall · wake · cabinet · suit · lash · toast · kid · game

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fall — the season
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fall — to drop
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wake — a trail
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a match
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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