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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: cabinet · snap · chair · cap · arm · mouse · lash · bound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bound — tied together
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bound — certain
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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