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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: mug · cabinet · stick · face · swing · cap · pass · lash

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a face
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cap — a hat
  20. swing — in golf
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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