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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. swing — music
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. pass — a permit
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — electricity
  13. row — to paddle
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mug — a face
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. row — a line
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. hand — part of the 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