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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.

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: bat · bass · cabinet · pass · lash · fall · ground · temple

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ground — a position
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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