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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: staff · cabinet · pass · lash · chest · track · chair · cold

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. staff — employees
  6. chest — a box
  7. staff — employees
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pass — a permit
  13. track — a path
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. track — a song
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. chest — of your body

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