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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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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: pass · kick · lash · ground · chest · pit · present · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ground — a position
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rash — a series
  12. present — a gift
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chest — a box
  20. pit — a hole
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rash — on the skin

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