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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. drill — army training
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. net — after costs
  15. key — in music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lash — to lash out

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