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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: hand · rest · cell · calf · fall · cue · lash · net

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — for catching
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. rest — a break
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in biology

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