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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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Word bank
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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: cabinet · game · snap · lash · wound · rock · hide · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wound — an injury
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pass — a permit
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. snap — to click
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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