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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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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: chest · scale · cabinet · leaves · lie · kick · arm · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. kick — in football
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lie — to recline
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — a box
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. leaves — to go away

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