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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 · bay · file · craft · cap · ball · lash · tear

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — after costs
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cap — a lid
  22. file — a document
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — boats

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