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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · spell · cue · chest · lash · mug · cabinet · foot

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cue — a hint
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mug — a face
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chest — a box
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — ground
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — to come down
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — a measure
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spell — letters
  24. foot — the bottom

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