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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: lash · wound · shower · pop · stick · pass · bat · foot

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pass — a permit
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — music
  24. wound — an injury

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