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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: pit · craft · chest · lash · arm · bark · cell · chip

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bark — to shout
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chest — a box
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — in biology
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pit — in a race
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. craft — boats
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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