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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 116 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: lash · calf · march · bat · chair · rock · pass · net

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — in sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — the month
  22. rock — music
  23. march — music
  24. pass — to spend time

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