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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 · roll · bass · foot · lash · court · tear · cell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cell — in biology
  10. roll — a list
  11. tear — from crying
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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