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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: fall · nail · kid · rash · lash · cabinet · kick · snap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fall — the season
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to click
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kick — in football
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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