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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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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: stand · mate · cabinet · can · chest · rash · kick · tear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rash — a series
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kick — in football
  10. chest — of your body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chest — a box
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chest — of your body

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