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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · fan · deal · arm · lash · staff · hide · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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 — after costs
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — in sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. scale — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. net — for catching
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. staff — employees
  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