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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: racket · cue · pass · wind · craft · fall · shower · lash

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. craft — boats
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a hint
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. shower — rain
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cue — for pool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fall — the season

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