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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: drill · shower · bass · deal · kick · pass · lash · pit

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kick — in football
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pit — a hole
  7. drill — army training
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pit — in a race
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. shower — rain
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bass — low music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. drill — the tool
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bass — the fish

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