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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: net · kick · band · spell · roll · racket · bay · lash

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. roll — a list
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. kick — in football
  7. net — in sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — letters
  12. roll — a cake
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  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