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

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. bank — of a river
  3. last — to go on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bank — for money
  10. drill — the tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. last — final
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bank — for money
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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