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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. key — the most important part
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — clever
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — after costs
  20. key — in music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — to eat
  24. net — for catching

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