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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — after costs
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. board — to get on
  16. rock — a stone
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. rock — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — child
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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