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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 120 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: last · rest · cabinet · board · capital · chest · drill · lean

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. chest — a box
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rest — a break
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — final
  10. lean — to bend
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — army training
  15. board — to get on
  16. last — to go on
  17. lean — thin
  18. capital — money
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — a practice
  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