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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pass — a permit
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — a series
  16. present — a gift
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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