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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: chest · kick · hand · lean · firm · cabinet · face · lash

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lean — thin
  4. face — to confront
  5. firm — steady
  6. face — part of the head
  7. firm — decided
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chest — a box
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — in football
  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