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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 120 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: hand · bowl · court · ruler · lash · face · net · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — to confront
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — in sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. hand — help
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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