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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 120 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 · pass · hand · cue · swing · wind · bay · scale

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — in golf

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