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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · staff · roll · lash · pass · net · cue · hand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — help
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. net — in sport
  16. pass — a permit
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. roll — a list
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — for pool

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