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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rule — a law
  5. pop — music
  6. rule — government
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — the season
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pass — a permit
  22. net — after costs
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — for catching

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