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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 120 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: cabinet · lash · chest · cold · rest · calf · pit · arm

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chest — of your body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rest — a break
  15. cold — not warm
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chest — a box
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rest — what's left
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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