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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: toast · chest · row · pound · cell · shower · cue · lash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. chest — of your body
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cue — a hint
  14. row — a line
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chest — a box
  18. shower — rain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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