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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: bass · lash · dip · fan · bat · pit · present · ground

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ground — a position
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — a gift
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. dip — to sink

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