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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · net · ball · hide · track · lash · bound · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a dance
  5. track — a song
  6. row — a line
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. track — a path
  10. bound — tied together
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a great time
  19. net — for catching
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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