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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 · last · fork · lash · cell · ruler · clip · stick

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. chest — a box
  15. cell — a phone
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ruler — for measuring

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