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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: date · lean · lash · arm · straw · toast · cabinet · cap

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lean — thin
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cap — a lid
  24. date — the fruit

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