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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: bass · roll · game · pass · nail · fall · lash · wind

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — the season
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. game — a match
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. roll — a list
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bass — low music

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