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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: bowl · hand · club · rash · cabinet · game · cap · rest

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hand — help
  13. club — a group
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. game — a match

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