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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · fall · lash · date · chair · calf · pitcher · cabinet

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fall — the season
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — a publisher
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fall — to drop
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — a leader
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. press — to push
  24. lash — an eyelash

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