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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lash · scale · chair · face · mug · board · chest · cabinet

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mug — to rob
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mug — a face
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chest — of your body
  10. face — to confront
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — a box
  23. mug — a cup
  24. board — to get on

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