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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: pass · cell · mouse · staff · capital · lash · net · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. staff — a stick
  4. capital — a city
  5. net — after costs
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cell — in biology
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — for catching
  18. capital — money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chest — a box

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