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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a song
  3. net — after costs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — a face
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. track — a path
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — help
  18. net — for catching
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. track — to keep track
  24. tube — a container

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