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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: lash · rush · bass · bat · mark · swing · land · arm

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. land — to come down
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. land — ground
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bass — low music

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