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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. net — for catching
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a music group
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. clip — a video
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a ring
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. key — in music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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