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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: lash · foot · last · net · roll · pass

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. foot — a measure
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. net — after costs
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. last — final
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. roll — a cake
  11. net — for catching
  12. last — to go on
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. roll — a list
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pass — a permit
  18. net — in sport

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