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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: cabinet · object · hand · roll · chair · wave · rash · lie

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. object — a thing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — a series
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — in cards
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. roll — a list
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lie — to recline

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