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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: file · content · cue · ground · lie · bat · lash · pass

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cue — a signal
  4. content — happy
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. cue — a hint
  21. ground — crushed
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ground — a position
  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