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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · hide · cap · fork · mine · lie · lash · bass

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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 — a series
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — of ice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bass — low music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fork — in a road
  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