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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 · rash · stick · track · pit · bay · cell · bowl

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rash — hasty
  10. track — a path
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. cell — in biology

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