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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: chest · lash · foot · sharp · cabinet · pop · bound · board

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. board — to get on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. sharp — clever
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bound — certain
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bound — tied together
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. board — a committee
  24. cabinet — ministers

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