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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.

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: foot · object · net · field · cue · clip · lash · mate

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mate — a partner
  3. clip — a video
  4. net — for catching
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. mate — to breed
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — for sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — after costs
  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